


Another Slice of Cheese

by Peskychloe



Series: Sandwiched [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, Smoking, ennoshita and akaashi are so domestic it hurts, seriously everyone's ages are still totally different, sugawara is chubby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-26 07:09:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9872867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peskychloe/pseuds/Peskychloe
Summary: Have you been wondering what happened between Suga and Daichi before the cookie incident? Or what happened after it? Well, let's find out, shall we?-It seemed to Suga that finally a lot of pieces of his life were falling into place just as he'd wanted them to, so he took a chance on this final one.





	1. Five Years Ago

**Author's Note:**

> This story has some discussion of death of a character not in Haikyuu, so if you are currently grieving or may find that triggering, you may want to avoid this. 
> 
> If you want to avoid it, but still want to know what happens with Suga and Daichi in this series, then skip to chapter 3, and you'll be fine.
> 
> if you haven't read the other two in the series, you might be a bit lost with some references, but I tried to make it a standalone as well, which means if you HAVE read the other two, you might find repetition.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga doesn't know what volleyball is, and I finally admit it's weird how many Japanese people all seem to congregate together in a town in England - I don't answer it, I just admit it.

'I'm warning you, I know nothing about volleyball.'

'All you need to really know is that the team can only touch it three times, and it can't be the same person twice in a row. The team who lets it hit the floor loses the point.'

'So they can't dribble the ball?'

'It's not basketball, Suga. Look, just watch it, you'll get the jist.'

Suga wasn't sure how Bokuto had finally persuaded him to go and watch volleyball; but really he knew there was no way he wouldn't have ended up going. Bokuto was like a little brother, and was just excited to show him the volleyball club he wanted to join now he was out of high school. There were four major teams in the area, one at each university, and the match was between the two largest, Met and Beckett.

He'd known Bokuto since he came into the shop looking for something to help with muscle training, and he had ended up giving him a Saturday job. He had so much energy, and was good with customers, he'd slotted in perfectly. Suga had a lot of time for him, as did most people who met him, and he wanted to be supportive.

'This team has Ushijima on it, he's some kind of brilliant prodigy. He's massive, and uses his left hand. Killer serve.' Bokuto filled him in, pointing towards a tall, surly man with brown hair and eyes, dark beneath his brow. 'He's the same age as me, if you can believe it.'

'Is he Japanese as well?'

'Yeah, there's a fair few Japanese players on this team, actually. Like Oikawa,' he said, pointing out another tall brown haired man, this one handsome, with softly curling hair, 'He's the Setter.'

'What the hell is a Setter?'

'They toss to whoever is going to score. Like to the Middle Blocker. That's Kurro over there.' Suga looked over and spotted a man with dark hair hanging over one side of his face, stretching out his arms and grinning. 'I don't know their Wing Spiker, but he's leaving, so I'm trying to join to play that position.'

'Is that like serving?' Suga was getting more confused with every new position.

'Suga, just keep quiet and enjoy it! It's not like you're going to start playing, you don't need to know all the rules.'

'I might...'

'Bit late for that, isn't it?'

'Hey, you little shit, I'm only 35.'

He had been meaning to take up a sport. His body wasn't as trim as it was when he was younger, owning and working in an organic food shop was a little too tempting, but then again, when would he have the spare time to play a sport? He worked six days a week, and most of his evenings were taken up with paperwork.

He really enjoyed running the shop, but it was a lot of work. He was desperate for more staff during the week as well as Saturday, mainly because he wanted to expand into offering hot food. It would mean taking on someone else to cover the food counter, he wasn't sure Sally could cope with anything more than making sandwiches. She'd probably prefer to work on the till anyway, being so confident and bubble, which would free him up for more admin and planning.

The game had apparently kicked off (was that the right term?) while he was sidetracked in thought, and Bokuto was already yelling at the top of his voice. Suga was beginning to regret agreeing to spend his one day off a week in a loud, people filled gym.

'Bokuto, I'm going to get some water. You want anything?'

'You can't walk off now! It's just started!'

'I'm sure I'll pick it up. I'll be quick, I promise.'

Bokuto just tutted, before shouting about a receive, so Suga slipped away quickly. He'd seen a drinks machine in the hallway, he could get something there, and take an aspirin; the game would be much more enjoyable without the brewing headache.

As he wandered the corridor, he noticed someone else coming out of the gym into the hallway. He had a phone at his ear, talking quietly, before hanging up and shouting, 'Fucking hell!' and kicking the wall.

Suga had stopped walking to give the man privacy, but then the other man looked up, and he saw him. He straightened up immediately, and shouted over.

'Hey, have you got a light?'

'Urm, yes I think so.' He hadn't had a cigarette in a few months, but he still carried a lighter, partly out of habit, and partly as it was a gift from an old friend. He rooted around in his bag, and walked closer to the man to pass it over.

'Thanks. Hey! I know you. You're... Koushi is it?'

Suga looked closer, and realised he did indeed know the other man. He hadn't recognised him in his jeans and t-shirt, usually he wore a suit and tie. His hair was also more messy, sticking up at the crown.

'Yes! I know you too! You come into my shop for lunch.'

'I'm Sawamura.' He held out a hand, and Suga shook it. His hands were much bigger than his, and calloused. 'You smoke?'

'Yes.' He wasn't sure why he said that, but now they both walked towards the main door.

They found a low wall just by the entrance, and sat on it. Sawamura offered the cigarette packet, and Suga took one, nodding his thanks, before they both lit up. It had been a while since he'd had one, and the first drag made him a bit dizzy. He felt like a delinquent high schooler, desperately trying to look cool to spend time with someone more popular than himself.

'So, why are you here?' Sawamura asked.

'Oh, my friend was giving me a headache, so I came out to get a drink.'

Sawamura laughed. 'No, I mean at the game, not here smoking on this wall.'

'Oh I see! Sorry. My Saturday boy wants to join the team, so he asked me to come along and vouch for him.'

'Is that the burly one with all the hair? He's sometimes there when I go in.'

'Yeah, he works during the week sometimes. He needs the money, he just started at Met University.' Suga took another drag. It wasn't getting any easier, so he abandoned it, leaving it hanging by his side, vowing that he really wouldn't have another cigarette again.

'Oh yeah? Mine just started at university too, that's why I'm here. He's playing today, he's the Wing Spiker on the Beckett Team.'

'Ah, well I know the Setter tosses to them sometimes... and that's about it for my knowledge.'

'Not a fan?' Suga shook his head. 'I played at school, myself.'

'Were you good?' He looked at Sawamura's legs as they swung next to his own. They looked strong, just as thick as his own, but with muscle instead of chub.

'I was pretty good.' He took a drag and looked sideways at Suga. 'I was Captain.'

'Wow, you must have been more than pretty good then?'

Sawamura shrugged, and stubbed out his cigarette, throwing it in a nearby bin. Suga followed suit; he'd only had a couple of drags, but he'd only really said yes out of habit, and some interest in spending time with a handsome man. It didn't happen enough recently, it was good to have someone like that smiling his way.

'Well, I'd better go back in there, otherwise Bokuto will kill me. It's good to meet you properly.' He stood up, brushing off the back of his legs.

'You too, Koushi. See you next week.' He stayed sitting on the wall, staring off into the distance.

As he walked back to the gym, he passed a tall man in a volleyball uniform, jogging down the hallway.

'Excuse me, have you seen a man in a white t-shirt?'

'Sawamura?' The volleyball player nodded. 'He's just outside.'

'Thanks.' He jogged off faster out through the main entrance, and Suga went off to find Bokuto.

–

'Dad! What's going on?'

'James, what are you doing out here?' Sawamura stood up, and walked over to him. 'Isn't the game still on?'

'I wasn't subbed in yet, I noticed you weren't there. What's happening?'

'I got a phone call.' He stepped closer, and put a hand on his shoulder. 'I'm really sorry, James. It's back.'

The younger man dropped his head, and Sawamura pulled his step-son into a hug.

–

The following Friday, a blur of turquoise and blue burst through the door of Koushi's, and started running at Suga.

'I got in!' Bokuto was still running at him, and before he had time to move, he'd jumped onto his boss, one arm around his neck, the other high in the air in a fist.

'Yes! Well done! Now get off.' He pushed him back to the floor, and rubbed at his back. 'You should treat your elders with more care.'

'We should go out and celebrate. I haven't seen Asahi in ages. He's working tomorrow right? Let's have a session after work.'

'Stop right there. We are not having another night of competitive drinking.' The last time he'd let his weekend staff stay after work, he'd fallen asleep after three beers, and they'd drunk all the expensive artisan gin mixed with cheap lemonade.

'Ok, well how about a compromise. Staff meeting, and then a curry?'

'That sounds perfect. My treat. I'm proud of you, Bokuto.'

'Dude.' He put a hand on Suga's shoulder, and suddenly looked close to tears, and not for the first time, Suga wondered how he always ended up being a beacon for these big, burly men with fragile hearts. His voice was quieter, and he said, 'I'd better get back to uni.'

'I'll text Asahi, tell him to be prepared for carnage.'

Bokuto's smile was instantly back, and he punched his fist in the air again. 'See you Saturday!'

He ran out of the door again, as fast as he'd arrived, and passed a familiar suited customer on the way. Suga watched as the two of them had a brief chat by the door, before Sawamura walked through to the food counter at the back, waving at Suga as he passed.

Sawamura hadn't been into the shop since the volleyball game the weekend before, and for some reason Suga had been a bit worried. He didn't mention the phone call, it was none of his business, but there had obviously been something troubling him when he last saw him. From where he sat with Bokuto, he'd glanced over at Daichi a few times during the volleyball game, and he didn't look like he was enjoying himself at all.

Suga watched as he walked back towards where he stood at the the counter to pay, and it was obvious whatever had been troubling him, didn't seem to be doing so any more. His smile was as wide and warm as always; he'd always enjoyed seeing him, 'blue suit man' as he was known before their introduction. He was handsome, and chatty, and those kind of customers were rare.

'Hey, Koushi. Your Saturday boy tells me he got onto the team. Looks like you did your job?'

'Bokuto? Yeah, I think they were worried he would get bored and leave the team, so I told them how reliable he is.' He rang up the cost of the sandwich, and took the money off Sawamura. 'He loves the sport, he won't leave unless they ask him to.'

'Well, I wish him all the best. Cheers!'

'See you later, Sawamura.'

'Call me Daichi. No need for formalities.'

–

_SIX MONTHS LATER_

He was such an idiot. Why did he do that? He should have learned, never mix business and dating.

But no, this time he'd been so sure. The signs were all there, he was positive he wasn't misreading things.

It had taken a lot of confidence to invite Daichi to the event, but he'd been certain he'd say yes. Daichi loved cheese; he often had a cheese sandwich for lunch, and if he didn't, he would buy a wedge of something blue to take home from the deli counter. Plus the name of the event had definitely made him laugh when he'd seen the poster hanging in the shop; 'Homage to Fromage'.

He thought back over the last few months since he'd sat and had that secret cigarette with him. They'd seen each other at least twice a week at the shop, and Daichi never rushed through paying. He would chat with Suga about new foods in the shop, asking for recommendations of things to buy and cook. He would always ask after Bokuto, delighted to hear things were going well with the team.

The recent addition of Bokuto's volleyball colleague Ushijima to the team, meant that Sally was now permanently on the main counter as Suga had always wanted. He'd been right, she enjoyed it there much more, and had even convinced her boss that they should start selling natural hair and beauty products. Ushijima had started serving hot food, including an amazing vegetarian chilli he often couldn't cope with demand for. Suga had free time to do planning, accounts, ordering, and his evenings and Sundays were free to fill with whatever he wanted to do.

And what he wanted to do was get to know Sawamura Daichi.

For the last two weeks, since they started serving hot food, Daichi had been in every day, and had stayed and eaten in instead of taking away a sandwich; and because Suga now had more free time due to not working on the counter, he would take his break at the same time, and sit with him to chat.

It seemed to Suga that finally a lot of pieces of his life were falling into place just as he'd wanted them to, so he took a chance on this final one.

It was the day before the cheese event, so they'd been talking about it, it naturally slipped into conversation so easily; 'Would you like to come tomorrow night? As my date?'

He just hadn't expected the reaction, and it was confusing, hurtful, disappointing. Daichi's face had looked disgusted, and he practically shouted, 'No!' as he ran out of the shop.

How could he have misread things so much?

–

Daichi walked back to the bank in a daze. He didn't really know what to do.

He'd almost said yes.

It was just too much with everything else going on. He felt guilty, even though he hadn't actually done anything wrong, and ashamed for upsetting Koushi, who was probably the nicest person he'd ever met.

He did the only thing he knew how to do. He simply avoided it, never dealing with it head on.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Homage to Fromage' is a real event, which an acquaintance of mine runs. It's quite infamous in Leeds, and they had a pop-up restaurant for a time. I was going to send Akaashi and Ennoshita to it, but they went to The Weather Cafe instead.


	2. One Year Ago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm before the calm
> 
> -
> 
> This is more like a series of conversations or vignettes than a real chapter. I tried to edit it, but it was quite hard to write, harder than I thought it would be, and I quite like the flow as it is, so it's been left this way on purpose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another warning here - this chapter could be hard going if you're grieving, or someone you know is suffering with cancer

The first day back after a holiday is always the literal worst. Ennoshita hadn't really wanted a holiday, but as he had all but one of his allocated days to take off, and if he didn't use them by the end of the month he would just lose them, the decision had been obvious.

He'd spent most of it in Milton Keynes with his Aunt and Uncle, catching up with old friends and family. Well, some of it.

Back in Leeds, there was an air in the bank he couldn't place. Everyone was sombre as he walked through, saying hello to them all. He stopped at Sawamura's office to check in with his immediate boss, and noticed a bunch of white flowers on the desk, but nobody sitting in his usual position.

'Jen,' he called over to the receptionist, 'Where's Sawamura today?'

'Oh, gosh. You don't know yet.' She motioned him towards her, and lowered her voice. 'It's Cathy. She died last week. It's the funeral today.'

Ennoshita's hand shot to his mouth took a sharp intake of breath. 'Oh, god, poor Sawamura. Did we send flowers?'

'Yes, don't worry, we put something in from you and put your name on it. We just didn't want to tell you while you were on holiday.'

While Ennoshita appreciated this gesture, he wished they'd told him before he came in. He wasn't necessarily close to Sawamura as such, but he'd been a great help to him in the last year of working at the bank, and he hated to think of him going through something without being able to return the help.

'How's he been?'

'Well, he's been on leave ever since. He's not due back until tomorrow. I just put flowers on his desk so when he gets back tomorrow he knows we've been thinking about him.'

'You're so kind. If I wasn't into men, I'd marry you in a heartbeat.'

'Ah, the best men are always gay, so unfair.'

–

It was so unfair. First his Dad, and now his Mum. He was a fucking orphan at twenty.

'Forty-eight is no age,' everyone kept saying, as if there was an age where this would have been ok.

Fuck the doctors, and fuck the health service in general. If only they'd diagnosed the problem sooner, instead of telling his Mum over and over again that she was just going through the menopause, or she needed to eat less bread, or any number of other bewildering and incorrect diagnoses she was given.

It wasn't just weight gain cause she was old. She had a huge fucking tumour on her ovary.

Well. Not any more. She didn't have anything any more.

Thank God he still had Daichi.

–

'I'm so sorry to hear about your wife.'

'Thank you.'

The hollow response always echoed within him every time he gave it. What was he thanking them for exactly? What were they even sorry about? Nothing people said when people died made any sense.

'Poor James,' they would also say, 'It's so young to lose your Mum.'

It's always too young to lose your parents. Daichi had been thirty-six when his Dad died, it hadn't been any easier just because he was a few years older. He watched his Mum when she lost her father the year after, and at the age of sixty, it definitely didn't seem like she was having an easy time losing her parent.

The last few years had been a nightmare. Losing his Dad, his Grandfather and his wife, all in the space of four years... he was just so exhausted from grief.

He took extended leave from work, just an extra two weeks to give him more time to get over it.

But how did anyone know how long it took any way? There's no time limit on grief.

'I'm so sorry to hear about your wife,' they said, over and over again.

She hadn't been his wife for years now. No, that sounded cruel.

She hadn't been the woman he married for years, not since she started getting sick. He'd still loved her, cared for her throughout the sickness, but it was like he'd already lost her when the tumour had started taking her over.

Her laughter had dried up as her insides had perished, and he'd been grieving for his wife for four years, not four days.

He'd known she would probably die first; she was older by almost ten years, but it was only recently that had become a very real possibility, and conversations about a future without her had started.

She'd spent the last four years, since the cancer had come back, talking about what he and James should do when she died. Four years of being told he would have to move on, he was too young to be alone forever, he had too much to give someone, some lucky woman (or man, she knew he wasn't straight) who deserved what she had been gifted with since they got married when he was barely twenty-four.

Fifteen years together, ten of them without illness. A ready made family with his own infant son, who needed a Dad to be there for him.

He wouldn't change a single thing about the past.

The future, however, was still there to be crafted.

–

_SIX MONTHS LATER_

 

'How could you do this? It's only been six months!'

'It's just a date, James, we're not getting married or anything.'

'You got over it quickly...'

'That's not what this is about.'

'Well, why don't you fill me in before you go out and fuck another woman?'

'That's enough!' Daichi shouted, finally losing patience.

James immediately stopped talking. Daichi rarely got angry, but when he did, everyone knew about it. The two or three times it had happened at the bank were legendary amongst staff, and none of his colleagues dared to get him to his 'dark cloud' point of no return.

'Me going out with another woman doesn't mean I stopped loving your mother. I loved her until the moment she died. But,' his voice was softer now as he touched his shoulder, 'I'm lonely. She was my life for so many years. I'm just going out for company. It's not about sex.'

'Yeah whatever.'

'Even if it _is_ about sex, it's not wrong, James. I know it's hard to hear, I really do. But I will eventually have that kind of relationship again, and I really hope you're going to be ok with it when I do.'

James stayed quiet, which was an achievement the way the conversation had been going.

'I know this is all difficult. I went through it myself too, not long ago. My Mum probably won't start dating again, but I hope if she does, I'll be ok with it. I just want her to be happy.'

'That's emotional blackmail.'

'I can't imagine how hard it is losing both your parents, especially when you're so young. But you will _always_ have me in your life, if you want it. That's a guarantee.'

Daichi still had a hand on his shoulder, and seeing his chin start to wobble, he pulled him into a hug, and James finally let go and cried.

'The last four years have been really hard for me. Let me have something good. I really want your blessing.'

James nodded into his shoulder, without speaking. Once again, Daichi thought that was probably the best he would get, at least for now.

–

_TWO WEEKS AGO_

  
_(Facebook, Sunday evening)_

 **Daichi >>** I have a favour to ask.

 **Ennoshita > **Yes, boss, what's up?

 **Daichi >> **I wish you wouldn't call me that.

 **Ennoshita > **I only do it when you message me from somewhere I can see from where I'm sitting. Why don't you just come over and talk to me?

 **Daichi >> **It's delicate.

 **Ennoshita > **Hey, are you alright, Sawamura?

 **Daichi >>** I'm fine, it's just a surprise.

 **Ennoshita > **Ok, as long as you're fine.

 **Daichi >> **I am, yes. It's really just a favour. You know the organic food shop round the corner? You go there for lunch sometimes don't you?

 **Ennoshita > **Koushi's? Yeah

 **Daichi >> **Can you order me a cookie from there? With 'I'm sorry' iced across it.

 **Ennoshita > **Yeah sure.

 **Daichi >> **And then when you pick it up, give it to the person who works there called Suga.

 **Ennoshita > **Ok. When?

 **Daichi >> **Just whenever you usually go in.

 **Ennoshita > **Tuesday ok?

 **Daichi >> **Yeah, that's fine. Thanks Ennoshita.

 

_(Facebook, Tuesday evening)_

**Daichi >> **Thanks again for sorting the cookie out, much appreciated.

 **Ennoshita > **It's fine, any time.

 **Daichi >>** Hopefully I won't have to apologise to anyone with a biscuit again.

 **Ennoshita > ** True. Although, I just realised. I still don't know everything.

 **Daichi >> **What do you mean?

 **Ennoshita > **What's next with Suga?

 **Daichi >> **Nothing. I just wanted to apologise.

 **Ennoshita > **This is not the end of the story, dude.

 **Daichi >> **He did accept the apology didn't he? You said he did.

 **Ennoshita > **That's not what I meant. There's something there. Akaashi noticed it as well.

 **Daichi >> **Could you not discuss this with other people please? It was a long time ago.

 **Ennoshita > ** You call him _Koushi_. You don't use first names with anyone.

 **Daichi >> **I'm very happy for you and Akaashi, but it's not happening with Koushi. Please leave it now.

 **Ennoshita > **Ok, I will do.

 **Daichi >> **Thanks.

 **Ennoshita > **It's so not over though...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that was ok for everyone. I promise chapter 3 is lighter


	3. Present Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month after the end of 'Cut The Mustard', if you are following the timeline as closely as I am trying to...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have skipped to this chapter to avoid the talk of death, here's a quick summary
> 
> Five years ago, Suga meets Daichi at a volleyball match he goes to with Bokuto. They recognise each other as Daichi has been to the shop a few times for lunch, so they have a smoke and a chat, just talking about volleyball. Afterwards, Daichi finds out his wife's cancer has returned, and he tells his stepson (James), but Suga is unaware of any of this, he just knows Daichi got a phone call that made him angry.  
> After that, Daichi carried on going to the shop to get a sandwich, and they strike up a friendship, which develops over six months; eventually Daichi has hot lunch at the shop every day, and Suga sits and talks to him. (NB none of that is really shown, you didn't miss any flirting DaiSuga)  
> Eventually, Suga asks Daichi if he'll go with him to a cheese and wine event they are holding, as his date, but Daichi says no, and then he just never goes back to the shop. Suga does not know why, but it is because Daichi was feeling guilty about wanting to go as his date despite his wife being ill.  
> Four years later, and one year before this, Ennoshita is working at the bank, when he hears that Daichi's wife has died. Six months later, he tells his stepson he wants to go on a date, which James isn't too pleased about. Daichi explains he's had a tough few years, as his wife was ill and not really the woman he'd married any more, and he is just lonely and wants some company.
> 
> And I think that's everything you need to know for this to make sense without reading the other chapters.

'Suga, would you mind if I put on an evening event sometime?' Akaashi asked one morning, while slicing the Serrano ham.

Watching the machine moving rhythmically backwards and forwards, and then letting the meat fall slice after slice onto his open palm, was hypnotic. Suga felt like he would have agreed to anything he asked, but this idea was actually something he'd been considering recently anyway.

'Yeah, sure! We used to do them a lot when we first opened to try and raise profile. What kind of thing?'

'I've got a friend who puts on events, so I thought it would be really easy to get him to just come and do a food themed one here.'

'Good plan. I used to arrange it all myself, and I'd end up being so irritable, I didn't enjoy it.'

He'd only arranged three 'Food Lover' evenings, and by the end of all three he was in an exhausted heap in the middle of the staffroom floor, telling Bokuto and Asahi to never let him organise anything like that again. Twice they hadn't stopped him from organising another one, but the third time Asahi had put his foot down.

'I'm not letting you do it again, Koushi. I can't watch you run yourself into the ground and shout at the younger staff. They don't deserve it.' Asahi had crossed his arms, and pulled his scariest expression. Suga knew underneath it all he was a kitten, but he took on board the comments about the younger staff. He'd known Asahi for years, he could cope with him being momentarily annoyed, but he didn't want Bokuto and Sally feeling unappreciated.

'What if I promise to only make it small?'

The tall man sighed. 'You always say that, and it's never small. The last one was meant to be just a bit of cheese, and then somehow we had a leftover wedding cake made of Stilton, and about thirty bottles of wine.'

To be fair, the 'Homage to Fromage' event _had_ gotten out of hand, mainly because Suga had needed something to distract himself from the situation with Diachi, and been over zealous buying cheese related products at the wholesale market.

Asahi was right – never again. But that didn't mean they couldn't have events, he just shouldn't be involved in the organisation any more. Akaashi would never go over whatever budget he gave him, so as long as he started out with a modest budget, and left everything to his chef, it would be fine.

'What kind of thing were you thinking?' he asked, getting his apron on.

'I thought I'd focus on what I know, so Italian food? It would work well with what we already stock, so there wouldn't be much waste.'

'Perfect, everyone likes Italian food, don't they?'

Akaashi and Suga talked through some tentative ideas, outlining what both hoped to achieve, and how much the shop could afford to spend on it. By the end of the conversation, the owner was excited, hungry and much happier than he had been.

He was still finding it hard to be happy for Akaashi, and he felt terrible about it. It wasn't his fault that Ennoshita had asked him out and things were going well; it was just that it was too similar a situation to his own, but with a superior outcome. Ennoshita even worked at the same bank, so every time he came into the shop and Suga saw the navy suit and dark hair, he thought it might be Daichi, and felt a pang of disappointment and regret when it wasn't.

It was a month since he'd got the apology cookie, not that he was counting the days. He couldn't help but wonder if there would be further interaction, and kept having to remind himself that the only reason they'd had anything to do with each other again after so long was a complete accident.

He shook himself, and got back to work. It was stupid to hope for something that just wasn't going to happen.

–

'Did you talk to him about it?' Ennoshita said, waving at Suga from across the shop as he waited for his food.

'I did, but I'm worried. He's not going to like this.'

Akaashi had been regretting letting his boyfriend talk him into it. The night before, lying in the dark on the sofa, it had all sounded perfectly romantic, no doubt because of who was murmuring the ideas into his neck. Now, in the harsh light of the deli counter, it seemed a bit farcical.

'I will never understand you. You can decide that making an iced biscuit to ask me out on a date is a brilliant idea, but making Italian food, when you're Italian and a fucking chef, seems like a bad idea.'

'Yeah, but why now? He's going to suspect.'

'Keiji, you have to trust me.' He picked up the two paper bags on the counter, and leaned over to peck him on the cheek. 'See you later?'

He didn't move all the way back, so Akaashi brought a hand up to his face, brushing his dark fringe over to the side so he could see his eyes properly. 'Definitely. Meet here after work?'

Ennoshita nodded, before turning and walking back to the bank. Akaashi watched him while he paid, and let out a contented sigh.

He really was lovely, he had no idea what he'd done to deserve him.

–

'Your lunch, boss,' said Ennoshita, passing one of the brown paper bags to Daichi.

'What do I owe you?'

'Just get it next time, it's fine.'

Daichi nodded his thanks, and opened up the bag, emptying the pannini onto a plate. The bread had flecks of green, probably a herb, and the smell coming from it was incredible.

Since they'd started dating a month ago, Ennoshita had been to Koushi's every lunchtime, meaning Daichi didn't get to see him as much as before. Not that they were close. Well, they were definitely closer since the whole Suga thing, but still, it wasn't like he could call him a friend.

He'd still been touched the week before when he'd brought back a sandwich instead of sitting in, including a spare for Daichi; so when Ennoshita suggested they get a hot sandwich and eat together again, he was delighted, and put his noodle cup back in his desk for the next day.

There was something he liked about the promise of 'next time' too, like they could have a regular arrangement. He wondered if maybe they actually were friends, and he was just being stubborn.

'What's he been making today?'

'Italian chicken, with mozzarella,' he said, taking a huge bite, 'Damn it, that's good.'

Daichi was humming in agreement, wiping melted mozzarella from his chin. Ennoshita quickly passed over a napkin, wiping another across his own chin.

'That's delicious. He's pretty talented.'

'Yeah he is,' he said, his face going soft, 'His Mum's Italian, he knows a lot about food from her.'

'Oh, yeah? I didn't realise. So, does he cook a lot for you both?'

'Yeah, pretty much every night so far. Except the weekends. I take him out to treat him then, make up for him cooking all week.'

Daichi looked at him, and, seeing how rosy his cheeks were, said, 'You're really happy, aren't you?'

'Absolutely ecstatic.' He let a rare, toothy smile escape. 'I have no idea what he sees in me, but I don't care. I'm making the most of it before he realises he's too good for me.'

'Don't talk like that! You're a great catch.'

'Yeah, but you've tasted his food, right? And also, have you fucking seen him? I'm punching _way_ above my weight.'

'I don't want to sound like your Dad or something, but it's not all about looks.' He put his hand up and counted off on his fingers as he spoke. 'You're funny, successful, honest, generous, not to mention that you're pretty handsome yourself.'

Ennoshita looked touched, blushing slightly. 'Well, thanks, Sawamura.' He carried on eating, trying to break the tension a bit. 'I like the tomatoes in here. They're really sweet.'

Daichi grinned and carried on eating, in comfortable silence. They were definitely friends.

–

_SIX WEEKS LATER_

  
The next few weeks were hectic, but thankfully not for Suga. He could see the organisation going on behind the scenes, and everything seemed to be on target. The posters were printed, and Hinata had been taking them to nearby offices and blocks of flats for the last few days.

It was an exciting time; for once Suga was unaware of what was being planned, but had total trust in Akaashi. He'd proven, even in a short time, that he was competent and reliable, and he was a bit sorry he couldn't offer more in terms of a challenge.

'Suga, I'm very happy working here. I like the people I work with, and my boyfriend comes in every day for lunch, and then meets me from work. I've landed on my feet getting this job.'

'Surely you want to stretch your abilities, though?'

'Eventually,' Akaashi admitted, 'But for now, this is good. I'm not going anywhere.'

It was hard to be bitter when they were so unreasonably enamored with each other. Yes, it was sickening, but it wasn't doing anyone any harm, not really. He was still jealous, obviously, but it would be churlish to be against them when a lot of the world already would be.

'Akaashi, if there's ever anything you want to do, just ask, and I'm sure we can sort it out.'

'If this Italian evening goes well, I'd like to do more. It's been great sourcing new products, practising new recipes. It's the part of the job I live for.'

'I expect Ennoshita has been enjoying all the new food?'

'I don't know, I think he's a bit sick of trying the same food over and over again, I'm sure the novelty of dating a chef is wearing off.'

'I'm not sure the novelty of dating _you_ will ever wear off for him.'

Akaashi looked down and started fidgeting with his hands. 'I certainly hope not.'

Suga was definitely sure he was happy for them, 99% of the time – but right at this minute he wanted to shout at Akaashi to stop being a bloody idiot.

–

It was time for stage two.

The regular weekly lunchdate with trial recipe sandwiches had continued for the last few weeks, during which Ennoshita had decided that Daichi was an even nicer bloke than he already thought he was, and he just really wanted him to be happy.

He didn't know if that happiness relied on Sugawara, he had to admit; what he knew of Sugawara, he was mostly friendly, with a bit of a temper in the right circumstances, who definitely had a crush on Daichi. Was that really enough? What he and his boyfriend had put together between the scant details they'd both been given, it was hardly a love affair to resound through the ages.

But... there was _something_. No matter what it was, Sugawara and Daichi both had some kind of feelings for each other, and mutual attraction alone could go a long way.

After all, what had he and Keiji had, really, when you thought about it. There had just been a feeling, and whatever that feeling was, it was still there after nearly three months. They hadn't even known each other before their first date for as long as Sugawara and Daichi had.

He really wanted Daichi to experience some of the happiness he'd had, and he felt like such a sap for even thinking like that.

'Hey, Daichi,' he started, while they ate this week's offering of black pepper salami sub. 'Do you fancy coming to an Italian food evening?'

'Maybe. Where is it?'

'Oh, it's what Akaashi has been practising all this food in aid of. They're having an Italian evening, next weekend, with different meats and pastas. And cheeses, you like cheese don't you? It's a one off cost, and then all you can eat. Should be good.'

Ennoshita felt like he had probably been casual enough with that, but Daichi was looking at him out of the corner of his eye; he finished slowly chewing, and swallowed, even more slowly. He was watching him, trying to work something out.

After a moment he spoke, saying simply, 'No, thank you,' before taking another bite of sandwich.

He knew better than to push things with his boss. There was time before the event.

–

As one of the assistant managers, Daichi was often the one to open up, and was usually there at least twenty minutes before anyone else. The next day however, he wasn't altogether surprised to find Ennoshita and Akaashi waiting for him at the door to the bank.

'Now then, you two,' he said, not looking at them directly, and going straight to unlock the door.

'Hey,' Akaashi was first to speak, 'This is my fault. I wanted a chat before work if possible.'

Daichi kept his attention on getting the door open as he said, 'Ok, fine. Give me five minutes.' He put up the shutters, and the other two wandered in, closely followed by Daichi.

'Ennoshita, can you sort things out?' The other man nodded, and he gave him a list of instructions, before turning and showing Akaashi into his office.

'I'm sorry about this. It's not my idea,' he said, as Daichi shut the door.

'It's ok, I think I know what you're going to say.' He motioned at a chair, and they both sat down either side of the big desk, reminiscent of their positions a few weeks before.

'I know I have no right to ask this, but please come to our event.'

'Yep, that's what I expected.'

'He doesn't want you to come for the reason you think he does.' He nodded his head towards Ennoshita through the glass.

'And why does he want me to come?'

'He told me about your wife.'

'Ah.' He absent-mindedly started twisting his wedding ring around his finger. 'Sorry to disappoint you, but that's why I thought he wanted me to come. I'm not going to date Koushi.'

'This isn't just about that. He says you haven't seen your step-son in a long time. He's concerned you don't have much outside of work, not since James stopped spending time with you. He's worried you might be a bit lonely.'

Daichi was still watching the ring as he turned it. James hadn't taken the idea of him dating again all that well, and despite the talk they had, he hadn't been that supportive of the date he had planned; because of this reluctance, Daichi hadn't been on any more dates after that first one, hadn't even seen that woman again even though they'd had a pleasant time.

'He's not just trying to get you to come because Suga is there. Although that is part of it, I'm not going to lie. He's trying to get you to spend time with people outside of work. He cares about you a lot, you know, he really looks up to you.'

'Really,' he asked, finally turning away from his ring.

'Of course,' Akaashi said, as if it was obvious. 'You've always been very supportive, especially about him being gay. His family are such cretins, he needed someone like you at work.'

'What's that about his family? I thought he visited them in Milton Keynes?'

'It's not for me to tell you about his family. Believe me when I say, you're extremely important to him. I know you don't owe me anything, but please come next weekend, for his sake.'

'Can I say I'll think about it?'

'That's fair.' He reached into the satchel hanging across his front, and pulled out a brown paper bag, which he passed to Daichi. 'I made you some amaretti yesterday, just as a reward for listening.'

'Thank you.' He opened the bag up, which was full of what appeared to be balls of paper, twisted on either side so they looked like bon bons. He opened one up to reveal a round beige biscuit, which he brought up to the face, inhaling deeply. 'These smell incredible. I love almonds.

'See, Chikara told me he was trying to lure you with cheese, but I told him you weren't a mouse.' He rolled his eyes at his own weak joke before continuing, 'I thought you were more of a sweet person.'

'You know, if it was just about the food, I wouldn't have any hesitation in coming. You're a talented chef, the sandwiches he brings back are always delicious.'

'Ah, well thank you, but you know, I'm very talented at making pasta and pizza too, of which there'll be plenty at the event.'

Daichi couldn't help but smile. 'I'll definitely bear that in mind, when I'm thinking it over.'

'I'd better go to work myself. Thank you for listening.'

He walked out of the office, and Daichi watched him go and kiss his boyfriend goodbye; he slipped a hand holding a wrapped amaretti into Ennoshita's pocket, dropping it in, and then patting it afterwards. He felt a pang in his chest seeing the way they looked at each other, and he turned away, shoving the amaretti into his mouth to try and stifle it.

Oh, that was delicious. Softer than other amaretti biscuits he'd eaten, it melted on his tongue. This was authentic Italian cooking, passed down through generations. That event was going to be amazing, it was a pity he really couldn't go.

_Why couldn't he go?_

It was a local business, and the event was organised by a local chef who was going out with one of his staff. He should support the local economy and the careers of friends, shouldn't he?

If that event wasn't at Koushi's, there'd be no doubt in his mind that he would be there. It was something he wanted to attend, he'd probably have a good time. That kid from the volleyball team would probably be there, he always enjoyed chatting with him. On top of that, things between himself and Koushi were civil enough for a cursory hello, so did it even matter where the event was being held?

Why was there any doubt at all?

He couldn't start to answer that, it was too hard. Because Sawamura Daichi was a very proud man who would never admit at least two things; one, he really was extremely lonely, and two, he missed Sugawara Koushi all the time.

Plus, he really _did_ like cheese.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Italian friend has informed me an Italian would never use cheese and chicken together, SO let's pretend that Akaashi put cheese in because Daichi likes cheese and this is all about buttering him up, shall we?


	4. The Following Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, this really snowballed out of control. Cameos, Schmameos

As soon as he walked out of the staffroom, Akaashi shouted at him to come over and join him. Suga had been concentrating on trying to sort out his tie, but he gave up and went over to where Akaashi was standing with a short man, wearing a green coat, with messy hair and glasses.

'This is Takeda Ittetsu, he's the one who's been helping me to organise the event. Takeda, this is my boss, Sugawara.'

Takeda bowed low to Suga, but he held his hands up, saying, 'No need for such formalities! Call me Suga, please, and no bowing.' The other man looked embarrassed, so to make him feel better, he told him, 'It's Italian night, more laid back.'

'It's good to finally meet you. Akaashi has told me a lot about you, and your shop is really wonderful.'

'Well, I must say it doesn't usually look as great as this. I'm not sure how you did it in such a short time, but it's marvellous.'

The regular tables were covered in red gingham tablecloths, with food on white plates set out on top. In amongst the plates were jars of breadsticks with green ribbon tied around them in large bows. The rest of the shop had been festooned with paper garlands in red, green and white, with matching swags of fabric on the food counters, and paper rosettes hanging on the walls. It had only taken a few hours to prepare everything, and despite a few accidents, mainly Takeda dropping things, it had all been completed with military precision.

Akaashi had spent the morning cooking with Asahi, whilst Hinata and Sally helped out wherever they were needed. Takeda had a knack for being able to get people to do whatever he asked, and he'd also brought along a small team of people to help him. Suga was unsure how so many people were all frantically working in the shop without anyone getting hurt or fighting each other, but he suspected the calming presence of Kiyoko, the manager of the events company, had a lot to do with it.

'Who will be serving the drinks later?' Takeda asked.

'Bokuto and one of his volleyball friends,' Akaashi said, 'He's called Kuroo.' Suga vaguely remembered him being pointed out to him at the first game he'd ever watched, but couldn't really remember much else about him.

'What drinks are we serving?' Suga realised he had no idea of the menu, and started to feel a bit out of the loop. Just then, Takeda placed a piece of paper in his hand, folded in half to create a booklet, and pointed to the back of it.

'The drinks menu is here, people can choose between this Italian beer, or red or white wine. Welcome drinks are Bellinis. It's quick to serve cause the peach purée is already made and in the glasses, it just needs topping up with prosecco, or sparkling water, at the last minute.'

Suga looked at the rest of the menu, and he almost started to feel guilty for not having more to do with the event. A lot of effort had clearly gone into the organisation, and he'd had nothing to do with it. There was a hot and cold buffet, with four types each of pasta and pizza; the pasta was wonderfully irregular, clearly made from scratch, and Suga had had the pleasure of watching the pizza bases being hand pulled by Akaashi that morning. One of the desserts was meringue, and he could see them, almost the size of his head and swirled with pink, already sitting on the counter. Apparently, the other choice would be tiramisu, which was a personal favourite of Suga's.

'This is all just... incredible. Akaashi, thank you.'

'I couldn't have done it without Takeda, he has a knack for organisation. But I couldn't have finished all the cooking without Asahi.' The day before was the first time they'd even met, let alone worked together, and Suga was relieved they had immediately hit it off. They were similar in a lot of ways; they were both very accomplished chefs, even though Asahi had no interest in running his own kitchen, he was just working as a favour while he tried to get his novel writing off the ground. Both he and Akaashi were very quiet, observing those around them, but they were also both incredibly sensitive, and Suga had seen them fall apart at one time or another.

Kiyoko walked past with a nervous blonde girl, both carrying plates of food, and asked, 'Where shall we put these?' Akaashi motioned them both towards a table, and they started setting out the cold meats, cheeses and breads. The hot food was already in the warming cabinet, and Hinata and Sally were chatting as they wiped plates and cutlery, stacking them nearby for people to help themselves. Even those two were working like a finely oiled machine, and Suga had never been more proud of his staff.

'So there's half an hour to the opening time. Tell me now if anything isn't ready, and I'll help.'

'Honestly, Suga, we're all sorted, I just need to get changed,' Akaashi said trying to sound reassuring, 'Takeda is going to give a quick talk on Italian food, then I'm going to do a demonstration of how to make authentic tiramisu, and after that everyone will just dig into the buffet and mingle.'

'How many tickets have we sold? Do we have enough to cover whatever it's cost us so far? I had no idea your friend would be bringing people.' He was starting to worry about the cost, but Akaashi was still speaking in a calming tone as he explained.

'Takeda agreed to do this for us for free, including staff, if I do the catering for his wedding in return. The tickets we've sold have covered the costs of the food and drink, and all our staff are working for free because we want to see this a success, for you. Even Kuroo is working just for food.' He lowered his voice and tapped the side of his nose. 'Between you and me, I think he just likes spending more time with Bokuto.'

Suga had been wrong. _Now_ he'd never been more proud of his staff.

'So no matter what happens tonight, I'm not out of pocket?'

'We'll break even at the very least, and that isn't counting people paying on the door. Plus people will probably buy stuff while they're here. All you need to do is enjoy yourself, ok?'

With that, Suga finally felt as if he could relax. He asked Akaashi for help with the tie hanging around his neck, and was pleasantly surprised, when he'd finished looping the fabric over itself in a seemingly random way, to see an elaborate knot sitting between the points of his collar.

'It's called an Eldredge knot,' he said, pulling at the overlapping layers so they were perfectly even. 'I've never seen you in a suit, you look great.'

'I feel like a sack of potatoes. It's too small for me.'

'Shush. It skims you here, on the hips,' he smoothed his hands down along the side seams, 'So it fits flush to your body, the wide collar balances out your face, and braces suit your frame better than a belt. It's incredibly smart, and you look very handsome.'

Suga was unsure what to make of all this information, but he was definitely delighted by the compliment, and he was starting to feel invincible. He pushed a hand through his floppy, grey hair, smoothing it back off his forehead.

'Thank you very much.' He cocked a head at his chef. He was conditioned to always to return a compliment, but Akaashi was sweaty, with his hair in a net, and flour on his face. 'I'm sure you'll look as gorgeous as usual once you're dressed.'

'What do you mean? This is what I'm wearing.' Suga started apologising, before he noticed the playful kink of Akaashi's mouth that betrayed him as mocking, so he started laughing instead.

'How do you even know all that?' he asked, but Akaashi was looking back over his shoulder at something which had caught his eye towards the front of the shop.

As an answer to Suga's question, he nodded his head backwards towards the door. He could tell by the softening of his face who had arrived, and he looked upwards so he could say hello to Ennoshita.

The dark haired man in an Italian football shirt waved at them; but then he saw, he hadn't come on his own.

Standing next to him, wearing a soft black sweater, and smiling at Suga just as softly, was Sawamura Daichi.

–

He knew he would be there, obviously.

He prepared himself for grey, tousled hair, always slightly too long as if he had no time to go and get it cut. He thought he was ready for the twinkly eyes, creased around the corners from years of smiling at everything, but they always took him by surprise, you could never be completely ready for them. He'd forgotten about the mole, on purpose, because he couldn't bear to think about that. He'd probably be wearing a comfortable sweater and that apron of his, and be pink cheeked from working hard.

Walking in with Ennoshita, he heard him before he saw him. His laugh rang through the shop, and he followed it back to the source, knowing as soon as he found it, that he had been wrong. He wasn't prepared at all.

Suga was stunning, there was no other way to describe it. His hair was smoothed backwards off his forehead into a quiff, giving a full interrupted view of those eyes (and the mole). His smile was pulled wide across his face, splitting it in two, teeth brazenly showing.

He had a simple, charcoal grey suit on in place of his usual casual wear, with a crisp white shirt, and a dark pink tie, the same cerise as the shop's branding. He could just spot a printed handkerchief poking out of the chest pocket, folded into a series of points.

His face was still as inviting as always, the smile was never far from his lips, but somehow the neatness of his hair and clothing brought into focus how elegant he really was.

Finally, Suga turned towards him, and looked him straight in the eye. Daichi smiled, attempting to convey a thousand emotions in a few movements of his mouth; he wanted to him to feel his remorse, his affection for him, and how he now craved another conversation with him.

Suga's smile dropped; Daichi had still wondered in the back of his mind if he was the one trying to get him to attend the event in the first place, but now he could see clearly that he was dumbstruck.

Akaashi started walking towards them, taking his hair net off with one hand, and tugging Suga's wrist with the other.

' _Ciao!_ __Sei il ragazzo più bello che abbia mai visto_ _ _._ _Dammi un bacio,*_ _'_ he said in flawless Italian, pulling Ennoshita towards him and kissing him deeply on the lips.

'Are you calling me names again?'

'Certainly not.' He turned to his companion, asking, 'Sawamura, would you mind if I just borrowed him for a minute?' He dragged Ennoshita away, without waiting for an answer, the pair of them giggling as he whispered in his ear, probably telling him what the Italian meant.

He brought his eyes back to Suga, who was still watching the two of them, for far longer than necessary. Daichi cleared his throat, causing Suga to finally turn and look at him. His smile was strained and unsure, as if he was expecting another let down, and had resigned himself to it.

Daichi finally spoke. 'Want a cigarette?'

_–_

Suga walked through the kitchen and out of the door into the alleyway behind the shop. The industrial bin was overflowing, as usual on a Sunday, but there was a pile of palettes in the corner, tucked away from sight.

He would sit here when things were overwhelming, and as he got older, it happened more often than he liked to admit. He might feel like the accounts were too much to deal with, and come out here to relieve the panic in his chest, or a lump in his throat from a sweet child coming into the shop could be soothed away with a tiny break to wipe his eyes without feeling vulnerable.

Today he wasn't alone, and the panic and vulnerability were both still there. But then again, so was Daichi.

It had been a while since he'd looked at him properly, he didn't get much chance the day he'd come and shouted at him. He was more drawn than five years ago, grey and white hairs peppering his dark, close cropped hair. He was still handsome in that heroic way a Disney prince is, a face somehow intensely broody, but also friendly and reliable.

Suga took a cigarette from the offered packet, and found the lighter in the bag he'd managed to grab on the way past the coat hooks. He lit his own, and then held it up, flame still flickering, to light the other.

Daichi placed a large hand over Suga's, holding it steady, causing him to look up and see his dark brown eyes on him. After a pause, Daichi bent down with the cigarette held between his lips, and lit it from the flame. Suga flicked the lighter closed, and took a long drag, still looking at him.

Daichi was first to break eye contact, checking the floor before he flicked ash onto it, and then staring at a box of vegetable peelings.

'I said I was never going to smoke again after the last time,' Suga said, lifting the cigarette to his mouth again.

'I'm pretty sure this is the same packet.' He looked sideways to see Suga looking at him, paused with the cigarette almost between his lips. 'I'm kidding.'

'I was thinking that might explain why they taste like shit,' he said, still taking another drag.

'I'm not sure tobacco goes off...'

'So, we going to talk about it, Daichi?' Suga interrupted him, 'Or just carry on ignoring it?'

'Maybe we could just start again from here. Pretend like we're back at that volleyball game?' His voice raised at the end of his sentence, hopeful.

Suga wanted nothing more than to agree with him, and treat the cigarette break like a reset button. He brushed off the ash which had dropped onto the blue brogues he'd borrowed from Akaashi for the evening, frowning at the mark it left behind. He sighed.

'I don't think I can do that. I need to talk about it.'

'Ok. But not now. You need to go mingle at your event, we can talk afterwards.' Daichi finished his cigarette and stubbed it out, picking the burnt out stub from Suga's hand, and throwing them both into a nearby bin.

Suga rubbed again at the mark, hoping it would come out of the brightly coloured suede with some cleaner, maybe club soda.

'I really hope they're not ruined.' He couldn't take his eyes off them, still fretting absent mindedly as he spoke.

'Leave them, Koushi, we'll try later. I'm sure we can sort them out.'

He looked up at Daichi, who had reached out a hand to pull him up off the crates.

'I really hope we can.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Akaashi says 'Hello! You're the nicest man I've ever seen, give me a kiss.'
> 
> \--
> 
> This might be the end of this particular story - I'm not sure whether to write more for Daichi and Suga, it makes me really sad. Part of me wants to write them happy, but another part of me doesn't want to have to write the bit inbetween. I wrote chapter 1 and 2 when I was having a really bad time, and I think I may have broken them a tiny bit.


	5. After The Event

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I stop torturing these poor babies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't leave it at that. Have some more.

The evening had been an unqualified success, there were no two ways about it. The same amount of people had paid on the door as had bought tickets in advance, and there was very little food left. No one had any idea how they managed to fit forty people in the shop, along with all the staff, but the whole building had rung with the sounds of enjoyment; soft murmuring chatter, clanking cutlery, all punctuated with laughter.

The only time there was any real peace was during the talk. It was informative, even to Akaashi, with Takeda discussing regions of Italy, and which foods each was most known for. Bokuto and Kuroo had been relegated to the kitchen along with the rest of Takeda's staff; Akaashi knew they wouldn't be that interested anyway, and he didn't want them to get bored.

Something had shifted between Suga and Daichi, he was sure of it. It was why he'd left them alone by dragging Ennoshita off into the kitchen – well, one of the reasons – and it seemed to have worked, in some small way. As they watched Takeda, he nudged Ennoshita's arm, and gestured at them both as they stood, listening. He merely received a shrug in return, but he was hopeful himself. He didn't think he'd ever see the two of them in the same room, let alone side by side.

During the tiramisu demonstration, he'd called upon Suga to help out dipping the lady fingers in coffee.

'The trick is to use hard fingers, and either dip them very quickly into the coffee mix, or you can paint the coffee on using a pastry brush. Otherwise they just get soggy.'

'And no one wants soggy fingers!' Suga had said, throwing back his head and laughing, winking into the crowd of people.

Akaashi had looked up and tried to find Ennoshita to roll his eyes at him, but instead he caught Daichi looking straight at Suga, winking back with affection.

Everyone had rushed around, getting the shop tidy and clean before opening in the morning. Ennoshita and Daichi stayed behind to help, but Takeda's team had all gone, leaving just the regular shop staff; eventually they all peeled off as well, Asahi giving the youngest two a lift home, and Bokuto and Kuroo walking off, arms around each other's shoulders.

'What's going on with those two, do you think?' Suga was watching them leave, and Akaashi walked over to join him.

'Ah, well, I caught them looking guilty in the kitchen when they were meant to be washing up, so I think they're probably a couple.'

'Are any of your staff straight, Suga?' Ennoshita said as he walked over with two beers.

'You cheeky sod,' he punched his shoulder, but carried on smiling. 'It's not like I did it on purpose. These things just happen.'

Daichi joined them at the shop front, and took the beer being offered to him by Ennoshita.

'We all having a drink before we go home?'

'Well, you two are. We're going home now.' He passed the other beer to Suga. 'Let's go, _mi amore_.'

'Can you stop saying that, _cazzone*_?'

'Stop insulting me.'

'Come on, _tesoro*_.' He slid his arm around his shoulders, and they left the shop, Akaashi murmuring Italian phrases, and Ennoshita giggling into his shoulder.

–

The shop was empty, the silence between them made more oppressive by expectation. The promise of a conversation after everything was over had calmed Suga for a while, but he became more unsettled as the evening went on.

Part of him was excited, another part was dreading it. It would be easier to live in this limbo of not knowing either way, than it would be to actually start the discussion. If it was never begun, it could never become an ending.

It was uncomfortable, both of them awkwardly standing near the shop door, bottles in hand, like two guests, ignorant of each other, turning up way too early for a house party.

Suga took a swig of beer, looking at the label afterwards, anywhere other than Daichi.

'So.'

Daichi had broken the silence, obviously; he was the sensible one.

'Let's go over there and sit down.' Daichi nodded, and followed as Suga walked back to the cafe area. They sat at their usual table, opposite each other, as if about to start a game a chess.

'There's no easy way to say all this.' There was no hesitation in his voice, and if Suga had been able to look at him, he would have seen Daichi was focusing on a spot in the middle distance.

'Ok,' was all he could respond with. Daichi took a deep breath, and began speaking.

'Fifteen years ago, I got married to a wonderful woman called Cathy. She already had a son from a previous marriage, she was older than me, her husband died in a crash a couple of years before. She got really sick, cancer, we thought she was in remission, but then it came back. I found out at that match, where we met.'

He took a pause, drinking beer, and Suga was now looking at him, but not speaking. He wanted him to know he was listening, and would focus on whatever he wanted to say.

'We'd been told if it came back, she wouldn't survive. It was an aggressive cancer. So when they told me, I knew it wouldn't be long, and I knew I had to tell James – that's my step-son. I was finding it hard to keep it together.'

Suga remembered the phone call, and him kicking the wall. Daichi focused on Suga's face for the first time since they sat down.

'You were the first thing I saw after I found out. You had this expression when you saw me, like you knew something was wrong. You came and smoked with me, even though you don't even smoke. You just _knew_ I needed my mind distracted for a bit.' He chuckled to himself. 'You're kind of manipulative, you know. In the nicest possible way,' he added, seeing the other man's face drop.

Suga had been told that before, but he didn't really understand how. He'd always had the innate ability to gauge what someone was feeling and some desire to fix it, manipulation sounded a bit calculating.

'So, after that, I started coming to the shop when things got too much. You were always happy to see me, and you always made me feel better. At a rough time, you were just there, what I needed, at the right time.'

'I'm sorry, I had no idea things were so rough.'

'No, and that's why it was so good to see you. You didn't ask me how Cathy was, like everyone else did. I wasn't Cathy's poor husband, or James' step-dad. I was just Daichi, not me in relation to someone else. As Cathy got worse, I came in more. And then...' He paused, and Suga knew what was coming next.

'I asked you out, right?'

'Yeah. I had Cathy at home, knowing she was dying, and she'd tell me she didn't want me to be alone. Then you asked me on a date. And I thought, yes, of course I want that. But, even with her telling me to move on, I felt so guilty. Like I was wishing her away, waiting for her to die so I could date someone else. So I said no, ran away and ignored it.'

Suga couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'You wanted to say yes?'

'Koushi, of course I wanted to say yes. How could you not realise that?'

He knew he hadn't misread it, but to have it confirmed lifted the congestion in his chest. Daichi was looking at him, with a fondness he thought had been impossible, and he felt like weeping; for Daichi and his wife and child as much as for himself.

'I really did mean to come and apologise for just never coming back. Maybe even to explain what was happening. But then my Dad passed away, and then my Grandfather, and I was torn between wanting to see you so you could cheer me up, and staying away so I wouldn't have to explain everything. To be honest, by the time Cathy died, I'd forced myself to forget about you.'

'Oh, Dai, I just had no idea. For fuck's sake, why do some people just get crapped on over and over?'

'You've got such a mouth on you, even when you're being sweet.' Daichi laughed for the first time, filling Suga's chest with warmth. He was trying not to dismiss the hard time Daichi had been through, but he couldn't help but focus on one wonderful thing; he'd had to force himself to forget about him.

'I got angry the other week, and I'm sorry about that. Things have been difficult with James. He doesn't like the idea of me seeing other people. The cookie came on a bad day, it made me think you were mocking me, somehow. You didn't deserve me shouting at you. It was only when Akaashi came and explained that I realised just how unfair I'd been. So I sent you a biscuit of your own.'

'I'm glad it happened. Akaashi would have given up on Ennoshita if you hadn't told him the feelings were mutual.'

'More importantly, though, we wouldn't be here now, would we?'

'Probably not.'

Daichi smiled, and finished his beer. 'So, do you have any questions? I feel like I've been talking for a long time.'

There were a lot of things Suga wanted to know; he wanted to know how the situation with James would be resolved, if his mum was doing ok after losing her husband, what exactly had been said when he was getting the cookie sorted out. But all of that could wait. Right now, he couldn't help but be selfish, and ask something he desperately wanted to know.

'I do have one question. If I asked you out now, what would you say?'

He leant across the table, and took Suga's hand in his, squeezing gently, and looked him straight in the eye. There was still some sadness there, but it was slowly being replaced the more Suga smiled and clasped his hands back.

'I would remind you my step-son is unhappy about me dating, but I'd agree to go for a meal with you.'

'That's fair. I can live with that.'

He leant across the table, and cupped Suga's face in his hand, smoothing his thumb across his cheek near the mole. Suga leant into the touch, closing his eyes and smiling. His palm was warm, and the finger stroking him was almost hypnotic.

'I missed this mole.'

The laughter brought him out of his trance. 'Of all the things to miss!'

And then Daichi was standing, to lean further across the table, knocking the smile from Suga as he pulled his face towards his. Their lips pressed together briefly, a little dry from the talking, hoppy from the beer. It was warm, though, and full of hope.

When they separated, their faces were bright. Daichi moved around the table to pull Suga to his feet. He drew him in, so they could wrap their arms around each other. Daichi was whispering, 'It's ok,' over and over, as Suga cried, saying, 'I'm so sorry.'

He was apologising for the things that had happened to Daichi, for what he hadn't been able to fix, or at least distract him from. He tried desperately to communicate through their embrace that he wouldn't let it happen again, but in the end he gave in to the desire to just revel in him, finally. He smelt of garlic from the food, his cologne was strongly spiced.

Suga felt a press of lips against his crown, and looked up into Daichi's face. He was smiling down at him and his eyes were glassy.

'Sawamura Daichi, will you go on a date with me?'

He was still smiling, as he leant down, and supplied another kiss as his answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *mi amore is (without meaning to sound patronising) 'my love', and it's the only bit of Italian Chikara has picked up.  
> Cazzone is an insult meaning literally 'big dick'.  
> Tesoro is a term of endearment, meaning 'treasure'.
> 
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> Thank you so much everyone! I hope that wasn't too much of an ordeal.


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